The Things We Keep Inside
by breadmakesyoufat
Summary: Nel is sent on a mission to investigate some ruins, but she has no idea what she's getting herself into until it's too late. She encounters Albel, and is forced to work with him in order to escape the ruins with her life. AlNel
1. No Hell, But Close Enough

Well, I couldn't help myself! This idea came to me in a dream after playing Star Ocean for 5 straight hours (which is bad for you, do not try at home). I'm still working on the conclusion to Into The Dragon's Den, which is giving me a hard time by the way, so I figured I'd post this to hold you guys over 'till it's ready. This story is only going to be 3 or 4 chapters long, so here's numero uno! Enjoy! And please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! 

MelanieStar 3

And no, I don't own Albel, Nel, or anything related to them...sigh.

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**Chapter 1**

**Not Hell, But Close Enough**

'_Just my luck.'_ Nel Zelpher thought sarcastically as she entered another dark chamber. _'Have I been here already? All these chambers are starting to look the same.'_

It had all started when she'd been sent on a mission by her Queen. She was to search an abandoned dungeon and retrieve a treasure that was supposed to be found there. So far, she's had no luck.

'_Maybe if I go down there I'll find something...'_ Nel wondered, sticking her torch out in front of her in a pointless attempt to light the pitch black tunnel she was looking down. She sighed. "Not like I have any other options."

As she was walking down the stone corridor, her thoughts started to drift off subject. _'I wonder how Fayt and everybody else are doing. I haven't seen any of them since we defeated the Creator.'_ She sighed, careful to step over a pile of rubble. _'I haven't even seen Albel since then...'_

Her mood instantly saddened. Nel had allowed herself to believe that her and Albel had warmed up to one another just before they had defeated Luther, and as much as it shamed her to admit, she missed him...a lot. They never did talk much, and when they did, it was usually in an argument or in short, hurtful remarks, but they did share an understanding of one another, much stronger then with any other member of Fayt's had-been group.

Nel was so lost in her thoughts that she was completely taken off guard when she was attacked.

Out of nowhere, someone jumped at her, grabbing a handful of her shirt and pinning her against the wall with such force that she dropped her torch as they lifted her off the ground. Her attacker let out a furious battle cry and jabbed at her with a sword. Nel shut her eyes tight in fear and did the one thing that felt most natural: She screamed.

The blade stopped dead, just grazing the skin of her neck as her scream echoed through the tunnels. The arm of Nel's attacker, which seemed to be made of metal, was pressed hard against her chest, making breathing hard for her as her scream died off. The blade hovered at her neck, it's owner apparently frozen.

-"Z-Zelpher...?"

That voice. Nel opened her eyes and looked into those of her attacker, their faces mere centimeters apart. "Albel...?"

He was looking at her directly, so many emotions showing through his eyes that Nel was having a hard time figuring out what to say. He seemed surprised to see her, probably not nearly as surprised as she was to see him, however.

After a minute, Albel pulled his katana away from Nel's neck and released the pressure on her chest, backing away. Nel fell to the ground, breathing heavily and clutching her chest with one shaky hand.

-"Leave."

His voice was soft and demanding. Nel looked up at Albel, who was staring down one of the darkest tunnels. "I can't Nox, I've got orders from the Queen to retrieve something from these ruins. I can't leave until I-"

-"I don't care about your mission, I'm telling you to leave, as in now!" He was looking at her now, his voice even more insistent.

Nel got to her feet and looked him square in the eyes. "I told you, I can't leave until..." She stopped short upon noticing some of his less obvious body language. His hands were shaking ever so slightly, and his eyes were darting around, searching for sources of every little sound. "Albel..." His eyes darted over to look at her.

-"What?"

-"...Are you..._scared_?"

He looked away, but didn't respond. He was watching the darkness again. Nel followed his gaze, starting to feel nervous by his strange behavior.

-"There are...beings in these ruins." He spoke quietly, as if he was scared of someone other then Nel hearing him. "They're not human. They look somewhat human, but they're not, they're nothing close."

Nel thought about what he'd just said. _'Is he serious, or just paranoid?'_ "Albel, I'm not sure if I understand-"

-"Shh!" he cut her off suddenly, staring intently down the tunnel he'd come from. Nel shut up quickly, knowing better, from experience, then to defy Albel when he was in one of his moods.

It was completely silent, except for a small noise that was coming from down that passage. _'What is it?'_ Nel wondered, but found out moments later. A small, round object was slowly rolling towards them, a tiny red light blinking on it's smooth outer covering.

-"Shit!" Albel cursed and ran at it.

-"Wait Albel, what is-" Nel blurted, reaching out to him.

-"Get down, and cover your ears!" he yelled at her frantically. He got to the ball and kicked it hard, sending the blinking red light flying back the way it had come.

-"Tell me what's going on!" Nel demanded as Albel turned and started running back towards her.

-"Just get down!" he yelled. When he'd gotten back to her and found that she still hadn't listened, he wrapped one arm around her back and pulled her down with him as he crashed to the ground.

The moment they hit the ground, Albel trying to shield Nel the best he could, an explosion sounded from down the tunnel, a flash of light blinding them both momentarily. The ground shook, small pieces of rock falling from the ceiling. As soon as the explosion hit, ear-splitting screams erupted, forcing Nel to cover her ears in pain. Albel's grip on her back tightened as the screeching for louder, making Nel vaguely aware that he was protecting her from the debris rather then covering his own ears. _'What the hell is that!'_ Nel's mind screamed, her ears on fire.

And then it suddenly stopped. Nel opened her eyes cautiously, and slowly took her hands off her ears. Silence. Dead silence.

Before her mind could register what had happened, Albel pulled her to her feet, grabbed one of her hands, and proceeded to run from the scene. Nel stumbled, but quickly regained her footing to run faster. They were in complete darkness now, Nel had left her torch behind.

-"Albel, what in the name of Apris was _that_!" she called up to him, trying her hardest to keep up with his increasingly fast pace. He didn't respond right away, glancing at every doorway or passage they passed.

-"I-...I'm not exactly sure..." he said finally, just loud enough for Nel to hear."They appear to be human, but you can't kill them with a blade. If you cut them up, they just put themselves back together..." he paused, slowing down a little so Nel could run beside him. He let go of her hand, which he'd been clutching up until now. "And they have weapons, lots of weapons...I learned that the hard way...I've encountered numerous groups that had guns, those arms that blue-haired wench from Fayt's group used to use, and almost all of them have some form of explosives."

He fell silent, glancing down a hallway as they passed it. Nel was listening, but was having a hard time registering what she was being told. "Where did they come from?" she asked finally.

-"How should I know! When I got here two days ago, the worms were already spread out over the whole area."

-"Wait, you've been in this dungeon for two days! Why?"

-"Fool, I can't find the exit." he spat angrily. Albel turned down a hallway, Nel following close behind. "And every time I feel like I'm getting close, those _things_ attack me!"

Nel went silent, staying close to Albel. _'What have I gotten myself into this time?'_ "Do you know if there's a way to kill them?" Albel slowed to walk, Nel copying his actions, but not without glancing over her shoulder first.

-"Not that I know of, but..." he sighed. "I suspect that they may already be dead."

Nel looked at him abruptly, shocked. "What would make you think that?"

Albel went quiet again, looking like he was remembering something horrible. "I had the misfortune of getting close to one of those creatures. It's skin was, peeling, from it's body. They wear rags, and in numerous places, their bones are visible." Nel felt her stomach flip. "They breathe, and as you know now, scream, which would imply that they feel pain, but I think it's impossible for them to be alive." He went silent again, glancing into a chamber they passed. "The one I got close to...I could see it's heart beating in it's chest."

Nel was speechless. The was Albel had described these...monsters, was horrible. Was it all true? Albel did look rather sick about all this, why would he lie?

-"Are you okay? They haven't hurt you, have they?"

Albel smirked, looking more like himself for the first time since she'd met up with him. "I'm Albel the Wicked, I can handle anything they throw at me." he said smugly, but Nel knew differently.

-"You may be, but two days of running around in complete darkness, being chased by dead men with weapons without food or water can tire even the likes of you, believe it or not."

Albel frowned at her. "Think you could do better?"

Nel shook her head. "Nope. I'm only human."

Albel huffed. "Women."

They walked in silence, painfully aware of every sound, no matter how small. Albel kept looking in every cell or chamber that they passed, until he finally stopped in front of one. "We'll rest here and think of a plan."

Nel followed him into the large chamber. There were two doors, the one they'd just come through, and another on the opposite side of the stone room. There wasn't anything in the way of furniture, only a small straw bed in one corner and pieces of a broken stool in the another.

-"Any particular reason why you chose this room over all the others?" Nel asked as she lowered herself to sit on the ground.

Albel sat down opposite her, putting his katana down beside him. "This room has two doors, so if we're attacked, there's an escape route."

Nel nodded and leaned back against the hard wall. "How are we going to get out of this place?"

-"As soon as we're ready, we should go look around some more. I've got absolutely no idea where the exit is, so..." Albel sighed. "...it could take forever."

Nel looked at him. _'He looks so depressed...but then again, I would be too after two days of zombie attacks.'_ "We'll find a way out, I'm sure of it."

Albel rolled his eyes. "Here she is, little Miss Optimistic, thinking she can save the day. Spare me, please."

Nel sat up straight, looking at him with cold eyes. "At least I got a better point of view then you, Mister We're All Going To Die."

-"Don't start with me woman, I don't need your little speech right now."

-"No, I think you need to hear this!" Nel shot back, making Albel look at her abruptly. "I know this doesn't look too good for us, but if we work together, we're bound to get out of this alive." Albel rolled his eyes. "And I'm not just saying that, so don't give me that look. We're getting through this, so don't count us out yet."

They were both silent, just looking at each other. Finally, Albel looked away. "Fine, just don't slow me down."

Nel continued to stare. "Say what you want, you know I'm right."

Albel crossed his arms over his chest, looking like a small, unhappy child, much to Nel's amusement. She tore her gaze from him and checked to make sure she still had both her daggers.

A wave of shivers passed over Nel's body as she touched the blade of her weapon. She looked up quickly, knowing from year's of battle and survival experiences to always listen to one's instincts. She scanned the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Just when she thought everything was clear, she saw it.

Or rather, them.

On Albel's forehead, there were three small, red dots. They were moving ever so slightly, but Albel hadn't noticed them, apparently too busy looking at empty space.

Nel wracked her brain. She knew what these dots meant, she'd seen them countless times before...It hit her. Lasers. The things people use to aim with certain guns...

Nel took action. "Albel! Get down!" she yelled, reaching for a dagger.

Albel jumped, looking at her now. "What?"

-"I said _Get Down_!" Nel yelled again, taking swift aim and throwing her weapon.

Albel flung himself on the ground just in time. Nel's dagger flew overhead, taking the blow as three bullets ricocheted off the blade. The red dots appeared again almost instantly, this time landing on Nel's bare leg.

She jumped to her feet and ran to Albel, the lasers still following her. Albel was just picking himself up off the ground when Nel flung herself at him, both of them hitting the floor as three more shots flew by overhead.

-"What's going on!"Albel demanded, his nose close to touching Nel's as she reached for her dagger.

-"Isn't it obvious? We're being shot at!" Nel exclaimed, shoving her dagger in it's leather holder and pulling both herself and Albel to their feet. "Come on!" she grabbed his hand, just giving him enough time to grab his sword from the ground before taking off out the other door and down another hallway.


	2. Sanctuary

**Chapter 2**

**Sanctuary**

Nel was running full speed down the dark stone hallway, clutching Albel's hand, who was running behind her.

-"You seem to know where you're going!" he called to her, noticing that she wasn't even glancing at any of the openings they passed, but none the less choosing which ones to venture into.

Nel shook her head, taking a sharp right. "I don't."

Albel did a double-take. "Then why do you seem so confident!"

They turned down another passage.

-"Instincts." Nel said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world

Albel did another double-take. "Instincts!" he exclaimed, "What good are those at a time like this!"

A bullet ricocheted off the wall beside Albel's head as they turned another sharp corner.

-"Instincts saved your life back in that room, so I'd shut up and give them some respect if I were you!" Nel said angrily, turning yet another corner, this time making a point to yank Albel's arm in the process.

-"Well, you're not me, so back off!" Albel shot back.

They continued running, Nel leading the way, pulling Albel around every corner. One second, they were running full speed. The next, Nel had stopped, Albel nearly plowing her over.

-"Fool! Why did you stop!" he asked angrily.

He looked over Nel's shoulder, and saw that she was looking down at a steep stairway in front of her. It spiraled, so they couldn't see what was at the bottom. He stuck his head over Nel's shoulder so he could see the side of her face. She looked rather tense.

-"What's this?" he whispered in her ear. "Are we second guessing our instincts?"

She turned and looked him square in the eyes, their noses nearly touching. Albel felt his stomach flip nervously, but why? Her warm breath tickled his skin as she stared at him.

-"Do you want to go first?" she asked softly, her eyes challenging him.

Albel gulped, trying so very hard not to close the little distance that remained between them, faintly aware that her hand was still holding his. _'Very interesting...'_ he thought, _'How long have I wanted to do that?'_

Before he could answer her, a shot sounded, and Albel watched Nel's face twist in agony as blood gushed from a hole in her arm. She bit her lip hard, refusing to give their enemy the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

-"Dammit!" Albel cursed. He turned and started a quick descent of the stairs, pulling Nel behind him. She was breathing hard, the pain starting to really kick in, her blood continuing to stain the floor.

Albel had to do everything in his power to stop himself from running back up there and slicing every one of those zombies into so many pieces that they'd never get themselves back together. _'They'll pay for this, I swear by it.'_

He nearly landed on his face when a round object found it's way under his foot. Albel stopped abruptly and looked down. "Don't they ever know when to take a break?" he exclaimed angrily and kicked the object, another bomb, down the stairs.

He turned and pulled Nel down to crouch on the stairs, him covering her head with his arms. "Hold on." he said, and moments later the whole area they were in shook, a flash of light signaling the explosion.

When the floor stopped shaking, Albel pulled Nel back up. "You alright?" She nodded silently, trying to hold in tears. Albel swore under his breath and started back down the stairs. "Can't you heal that or something?"

Nel shook her head, even though he couldn't see it. "I can't until I get the bullet out, or it'll never heal internally."

Albel frowned. "Perfect."

They finally got to the bottom of the stairs, and was slightly relieved by what they saw. They were in a large room. Nothing special, except that on the other side of the room was a huge door. A thick, sturdy, metal door.

Nel looked at Albel. "Do you think that would withstand bombs?"

He started to walk closer, pulling Nel along. "I'm not sure, what do your instincts think?"

Nel smiled, a sight that warmed Albel's heart. "Right now, they're telling me that it had better, because it's out only hope."

Albel looked back at the door. "True."

They might of been ten meters from the door when a bullet hit Albel's metal arm. He turned and swore, seeing numerous zombies swarming out of the stairwell and running at them. _'They run fast for a bunch of bones...'_ "Come on!" he said and pulled Nel into a run.

They reached the door, thankful that it was open just enough for them to slip in. Albel quickly released Nel's hand and started pushing the door closed. _'It's heavier then it looks.'_ he thought sourly as he pushed with everything he had. Nel saw that he was having difficulty and got in beside him, pushing hard. Albel glanced at her, seeing the pained expression on her face.

Bullets were starting to hit the door, flying off in every direction. With one last heave, the door shut completely, Albel hastily pulling the huge metal bar down across the door, locking it.

Albel and Nel backed away slowly, looking over the door to make sure it was secure. As Albel continued to look at the door, Nel turned to look at the chamber they were in. It was much smaller then the one before it, but still large. The walls and floor were of stone, no windows or doors present. Albel turned and inspected the chamber as well. "At least we're safe for now." he said.

Nel nodded and walked over to an object on the floor. Wincing, she picked it up for inspection. "Wood." she said, showing Albel. He nodded, his eyes drifting to the puddle of blood Nel was standing in.

-"How about we take care of your arm?" he said quietly. Nel looked up at him. He nodded. "C'mon, sit over there." He motioned to a wall and Nel followed him as he went over to it. She sat down, her back against the wall, Albel kneeling beside her. "Could you light this?"

Nel nodded and cast a flame to the stick of wood, lighting their corner. She handed the torch to Albel, who used it to inspect her wound.

-"The bullet's not in too deep, I can still see it." he said, gently touching the skin around the hole. Nel bit her lip. "So," Albel looked at her, "Are you getting it out, or am I?"

Nel returned his gaze. "...Would you think less of me if I asked you to?"

-"...No."

She paused. "...Could you?"

Albel sighed. "I thought you'd say that." Nel looked down. "It's okay. Here."

Nel took the torch, holding it so he could still see what he was doing. Albel started wiping his hand on his shirt in an attempt to clean it.

-"I don't need to tell you that this is going to hurt, but I'll try to make it quick." he said, looking at her again. Nel nodded and turned her head away when she saw Albel look at her arm again. He took a deep breath. _'Here we go.'_

With his claw, he gently opened the hole. Nel remained perfectly still, her knuckles whitening as she squeezed the torch. Albel breathed in again. "Relax, it'll hurt more if your muscles are tight." Nel slowly relaxed, still biting her lip. With one last glance at Nel, her eyes shut tight, he dug his thumb and index finger into her wound.

Nel's reflexes kicked in, making her try to back into the wall, a small whimper escaping her lips. "Shhh..." Albel soothed, trying to grip the bullet between his fingers. Nel sucked in a breath as he finally got a hold of it. "Okay, relax." Albel said, watching her face again. When Nel calmed down enough, he quickly yanked his fingers out, dropping the bloody ball of metal to the ground. Nel held in another scream, shutting her eyes tight in pain.

Albel let got of her arm, wiping her blood of his fingers with his shirt. "It's out, hurry up and heal yourself."

Nel put the torch down at her side and reached over, placing a spell on the wound, healing it instantly. She didn't move again right away, her eyes shut as she tried to calm her breathing. Finally, she looked up at Albel and smiled weakly. "Thank you."

Albel looked away. "It was nothing, just don't go and get yourself shot agai-"

He cut off when Nel got to her knees and wrapped her arms around his middle in a relaxed hug. Pink graced Albel's cheeks as she rested her head on his shoulder. His stomach flipped again, confusing him. "Zelpher...what are you doing?" he asked softly.

-"I'm giving you a hug." she said quietly in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

-"I got that much myself, but, why?"

He felt her chest vibrate as she laughed softly. "I'm saying thank you by giving you a hug."

-"But, you already gave me thanks."

-"I'm telling you again."

Albel felt his arms slowly wrap around his ex-enemy's waist and a small smile cross his lips._ 'Why is it that right here, right now, I feel the happiest I've ever been in a very long time?'_ he wondered, pulling Nel a little closer and closing his eyes. _'The world has taken everything that was dear to me,'_ He opened his eyes, staring at the wall behind Nel. _'I refuse to let anything happen to her. My history will repeat itself over my dead body.'_

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**Hi again. I know this chapter is alot shorter then normal, but the next one will be longer, promise. You have no idea how happy I am that so many people read and review my stories! 3 I'll try to update soon, but I'm going on a family trip this weekend, and won't be back until Tuesday, so I'll start work on the next chapter then.**

**Thank you all so much!**

**MelanieStar **


	3. Momentary Weakness

**Chapter 3**

**Momentary Weakness**

They broke the embrace when a loud boom sounded, the metal bar that was keeping the oversized door shut rattling violently. Another explosion sounded soon after.

-"They're trying to blow their way in." Albel said, watching the door. "Even if the door's made of metal, they could easily blow a hole in the stone wall,...if they think of that..."

Of course, as soon as he had stopped talking, another explosion went off, the sound of stone crumbling reaching their ears.

-"They must of heard you." Nel said with a hint of sarcasm, picking up the torch and looking at Albel. "Any ideas?"

Albel looked around. "This is the ruins of a dungeon, so if I didn't know any better..." He walked over the stone wall opposite the metal door, Nel following close behind. "I'd say there's probably a back door to this place, in case the prisoners ever got loose and started slaughtering everyone."

Albel motioned for Nel to hold the light close so he could see every detail of the wall.

-"Here." he concluded after a minute of searching. A lone brick stood out against the smooth stone wall.

-"A little obvious, don't you think?" Nel commented.

-"Yes, but I'm not complaining." Albel added, trying not to notice the escalating sound of stone being blown to bits. With his claw, he pushed on the brick, hard, until it slid back as far as it could. He felt around the hole briefly until he found what he was looking for. A small key was indented into the side of the hole, unnoticeable unless touched.

He plucked it out of the hole and examined it. "Well, that's just wonderful...but where's the keyhole?" he asked no one in particular.

-"Found it." Nel said abruptly, pointing at a small hole in the wall. Albel quickly stuck the key where it belonged and turned it, feeling relief flood over him as a section of the wall swung open, sunlight pouring in.

He turned and looked at Nel, who was smiling at him. "Any second thoughts on leaving?" she joked.

He looked at the wall opposite them just as the zombies finally blasted through and started swarming in. "None. Let's get out of here."

Nel hurried through the passage as Albel reclaimed the key from it's lock. He followed her though the door, ducking as a bullet hit the wall right above his head. Once he was out, Nel hastily pushed the door shut and Albel locked it with the only key.

They took a few steps back, waiting to see if they were finally safe. After a second or two, the sound of multiple bodies hitting the wall reached their ears. Nel took another step back out of surprise, her heart skipping a beat when she realized that there was no ground beneath her foot.

She let out a frightened scream as she fell back, reaching out for anything to steady her. A hand wrapped around her wrist at the last possible second, stopping her fall. "Honestly woman, are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?" Nel looked up at Albel's annoyed expression as he pulled her up to stand beside him.

She looked behind her, only to find that they were, quite literally, standing on a cliff. "I didn't know there was a cliff, okay smart guy?" she said, looking at Albel again. "But thank you none the less." She smiled, making Albel's heart flutter.

-"Bah, just watch where you're walking next time."

-"Will do."

Nel walked to the edge again and looked down. "Long way down." she examined before turning and looking up, having to raise a hand against the bright sunlight. "Long way up too." She turned to Albel. "Well, which is it going to be?"

Albel shrugged. "Well, considering we went down all those stairs..." He glanced up, squinting. "I'd say up."

Nel nodded. "That's what I figured too." She looked up the wall they were about to climb, trying to spot the best route to take. "Right," she sighed. "I'll go first. Let's go."

She walked over to the side of the little platform they were standing on and pulled herself up against the wall, quickly starting her climb. Albel watched her scale the wall for another few moments before walking over and pulling himself up as well.

The climb was slow and hard. The rock wall kept crumbling and breaking away whenever Albel tried to grip it to pull himself up. He looked up briefly, noticing that Nel had been slowly working her way to the side, so if he had been at the same level as her, they would of been beside each other.

He also noticed that the sun was making it's way across the sky, showing him that there might of been another couple hours of light before the sun went down for the night. _'We had better get up to land soon, his climb is hard enough without having to do it in the dark.'_

Suddenly, a small chunk of rock hit Albel's head, making him stop mid-step and look up. "Oi! What's the big idea?" he called up.

Nel didn't look down at him, busy trying to find a place to put her hand. Every time she put her hand down, the wall crumbled under her fingers and fell, pieces of rock passing Albel by. "The rock's really brittle up here." Nel said loudly. "I can't find anywhere stable enough to pull myself up."

Albel continued climbing, grumbling curses to himself. "Then just come back down, move over, and try again."

Nel looked down, trying to figure out how to do that, when the two chunks of rock she was standing on gave out. One hit Albel in the head again, making him growl and look up, ready to give her a mouthful. He stopped abruptly when a blur of red flew by his side, calling out his name frantically.

Reflexes kicked in and his arm shot out, grabbing hold of Nel's wrist, stopping her fall suddenly. She let out a small scream, cutting it off quickly enough by biting her lip.

Albel watched her sway slightly, trying his hardest not to lose his grip on her. "What? What happened?" he asked hurriedly after her scream, noticing her pained expression.

She looked up at him. "Claws." she spoke quietly, looking away.

Only then did Albel notice the steady flow of blood running down Nel's arm. When he's caught her, he'd grabbed her with his claw, slicing up her wrist and a couple of her fingers.

His first instinct was to let go, but he quickly remembered the situation they were in and held onto her. Guilt choked his thoughts briefly as he stared down at his mechanical arm. He frowned and concentrated on their problem at hand. After a quick scan, he noticed a cave in the wall with a small platform of rock bulging out underneath the entrance.

'_If I could just get her over there...'_ he thought, looking at the platform. It was a little distance underneath Nel and nearly right beside her. It was perfect.

-"Zelpher." She didn't look at him. "Nel!" That got her attention. She looked up, locking eyes with him. "See that ledge over there?" She looked down and over. "I'm going to swing you over there."

She looked back up at him. "What if you miss?" Her voice was uncertain, and if Albel wasn't mistaken, the tiniest bit scared.

-"I won't miss, I promise."

The look she was giving him didn't change.

Albel sighed. "Just trust me."

She looked him over for another second before slowly nodding. "Okay, I'm ready."

Albel nodded. Slowly, he began to swing his metallic arm, Nel swaying as well. Every time he swung his arm, he could faintly feel Nel's hand twitching in pain as his claws dug further into her skin. Soon, he had built up enough thrust to get her to the ledge.

-"Ready?"

-"Yeah."

Albel took extremely carful aim and let her go, her body sailing towards her destination. "Tuck and roll." he quickly reminded her.

Nel landed gracefully, front rolling once to relieve her bones of the shock and stopping herself short of the ledge. She stood at full height and looked back up at Albel, flashing him a small smile, despite the blood that was still dripping from her fingertips.

Albel let out the breath that he'd been holding in with anticipation and placed his claw back on the wall, sickly aware that Nel's blood had stained the blades.

He slowly and carefully, climbed over to the cave, silently hopping down onto the platform beside Nel, who had been watching him. They looked at each other, speechless, until Albel broke the silence. "You'll bleed to death."

Nel looked away quickly. "It's not that bad, I won't bleed to death."

Albel observed her as she avoided his eyes. Finally, when she continued to ignore him, Albel sighed. "Look Zelpher, I didn't mean to do that to your wrist." Nel still didn't look at him. Albel frowned. "Would you of been happier if I'd just let you go?" he said rather sarcastically, catching her attention.

-"Don't be ridiculous,...that's not what's wrong..." she trailed off, realizing she'd already said too much. Albel raised an eyebrow at her, but she quickly turned away and ducked into the cave. His eyes followed her as Nel moved to the back of the cave, which wasn't very far, and sat down, leaning her back against the rough wall.. She looked up at him when he continued to stare. "Stop it."

Albel blinked and paused before following Nel's path and sitting down against the wall to her right. He glanced out the cave entrance, noting that the sun had already gone down for the night. They sat in silence, vaguely aware that the temperature was dropping, the heat leaving just as fast as the sun had.

Albel nearly jumped when a sticky warm liquid touched his hand, making him look down. There was a trail of blood slowly flowing from Nel's wounded hand over to him. He looked up at her, but she was staring at the ground in front of her.

-"Zelpher, I'm serious. Take care of your hand."

Her eyes lazily rolled over to look back at him. "What would it matter to you? You must see me as a nuisance by now." She paused, looking away. Quietly, she spoke again. "I'm tiered of having you saving me all the time. I'm supposed to be this amazing Aquarian warrior, most useful Crimson Blade to the Queen herself...what has become of me now?"

Albel listened to her intently, yet not sure why he was so interested in her words.

-"At one point," she continued. "I helped in the saving of the universe, a deed not easily accomplished. But now, I feel...worthless. I try to do the best I can - at everything! - but it never seems to be good enough..."

Albel sighed, catching her attention. "Zelpher, that's utterly pathetic." Nel didn't respond to that, she merely returned her gaze to the ground. "I never thought you to be the type to speak such nonsense, yet here you are, playing _poor-me_." Albel paused, looking at her again. "And you're so full of it. You must realize how ridiculous all that rambling sounds. It's truly sad seeing such a professional warrior being crushed over nothing."

Nel looked up at this.

-"If I do recall quite clearly, you did save my life in those ruins, even though I hate to admit it." Albel continued, muttering the last part. "You were a fearless companion in our journey to relieve the universe of that worm Luther, and..." Albel paused, gazing out the cave entrance at the starry night sky. "You've healed my wounds on numerous occasions, both physically and mentally, without anyone asking it of you..." He looked over at her and felt himself choke up at the look she was giving him. "So stop feeling so sorry for yourself, for you have nothing to be complaining about. But, I believe you already know all that."

It got extremely quiet just then. Albel didn't look at her, knowing full well that he'd said way too much for his own liking. Finally, he glanced over at Nel, and had to look twice. She was out cold!

Albel quickly got to his feet and went to her, feeling her neck for a pulse. He found one, but it was beyond weak. He glanced down at the injured wrist that was still bleeding. "Stupid woman," he grumbled under his breath. "You've lost too much blood."

Making a quick decision, Albel peeled his shirt from his back and wrapped it around Nel's wrist, snug enough to stop the flow. It had been his favorite shirt, but it was pointless to mourn the loss now, the deed was done.

Curiously, Albel brushed his hand over Nel's forehead. "You've got a fever too, fool." he muttered, smoothing her red hair away from her face. A hint of pink crossed his features as his name escaped Nel's lips, followed by a small smile. His fingers lingered in her hair briefly before the found himself again and pulled away. _'What's happening to me?'_ he wondered, his gaze lingering on Nel. _'I couldn't possibly be falling for her...?'_

He continued to regard Nel with interest, watching her angelic face as she slept. Quickly, before he caught onto what was happening, Albel dipped his head low and lightly kissed Nel on the cheek. He pulled away fast, realizing what he'd just done. "Damn it." he muttered quietly and went back to sit on his side of the cave. He leaned again the wall, failing to notice that his shirtless back was being scraped by the rough rock wall.

He sighed, stopping himself from looking back over at Nel. _'Why did I do that? I didn't mean for it to happen, but...'_ He sighed again and closed his eyes. _'At least she doesn't know. That way we can go on like it never happened.'_

Slowly, Albel allowed sleep to capture him. No more then a minute later, when absolutely sure he was out, Nel opened one eyes to look at him.

She'd been awake for the kiss.

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Sorry! I know it took me way too long to update, and I'm really sorry about that! I've got school starting on Tuesday and I had to do some major shopping to get ready, plus, my mom's going to Europe in the next couple weeks, so I've been helping her get ready too.

I can't tell you when I'll update next, because I'm going into my first year at High School, and I'm really stressed out about that. I don't know how much free time I'll have to myself to write, so please be patient, I won't let this story drop!

Thanks for reading! MelanieStar


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